Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella
Growing up in Midwest in the ’80s, Christmas music meant only one thing; Mannheim Steamroller. Their new-agey, overwrought-yet-pleasant seasonal music was inescapable, and it still gets heavy airplay each December. The one track that I always enjoyed when mom put the CD on was “Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella.” In an album of Christmas excess, this sparse-by-comparison composition featuring a recorder and harp was easily my favorite track on that album. Now, when I hear that melody, regardless of genre, I am instantly called back to my youth. The Mannheim Steamroller version is instrumental. Given that the song is a B-list Christmas song, and not as in your face every year like Jingle Bells, I never even thought about the possibility of lyrics.
And then I heard Sufjan’s version. On first listen, I did not make the connection to the song of my youth. They sound like two different songs. Sufjan’s lo-fi, understated approach is in stark contrast to the production-heavy version from Mannheim Steamroller. Christmas songs are full of awe and wonder; the characters are witness to transformative events in the world. Even though I am not a true believer in the birth and death of Jesus Christ, I listen to Christmas songs to tap into that sense of mystery, confusion, and pure joy that the sons are trying to represent. Sufjan’s plaintive yet straightforward delivery of the vocals truly captures that sense of mystery. At only 1:39, it’s a short one time through the two main verses and one time through the chorus. But every choice he makes in the song stands out that much more because of this brevity. His ever-so-slight pause on the ‘ah, ah’ in the chorus grabs me every time, and I can get close to feeling that sense of awe and wonder that Sufjan is feeling as he is singing it.
Mannheim Steamroller’s version of “Bring a Torch” is the Christmas song of my youth. Sufjan Steven’s version is the Christmas song of my adulthood.
Don Shennum is a geek dad living in rural WA. His hipster music sensibilities sometimes offend and sometimes surprise his teenaged and 20-something kids. You can see what he’s reading, listening to, or cooking over at https://www.donshennum.com.